"What a strange scene
is here opened to our view! How remote from all our natural
apprehensions! Not a glimpse of what is here revealed was ever seen in
the heathen world. Not only the modern, barbarous, uncivilized Heathens
have not the least conception of it; but it was equally unknown to the
refined, polished Heathens of ancient Greece and Rome. And it is almost
as little thought of or understood by the generality of Christians: I
mean, not barely those that are nominally such, that have the form of
godliness without the power; but even those that in a measure fear God,
and study to work righteousness."

"As the world of
nations is to be pervaded by divine influence in the millennium, so the
world of nature shall be, not annihilated, but transfigured universally
in the eternal state which follows it. The earth was cursed for man's
sake; but is redeemed by the second Adam. Now is the Church; in
the millennium shall be the kingdom; and after that shall be the new
world wherein God shall be all in all."

"This chapter presents
a vision of the final condition of the redeemed and triumphant church.
This vision points out the contrast between the beginning and the final
condition of our race. The career of man began in a garden, the fitting
home of a race few in numbers. It ends, as revealed by the prophet, in a
city, the home where multitudes gather. Of this city Jerusalem was a
type. The redeemed and holy Church, washed by the Savior's blood, and
obedient to his will as a faithful bride to her husband, is the new
Jerusalem."

"In Revelation 21, people do not go to heaven as most people have been taught but rather God comes down to earth to dwell with mortals -- "the new Jerusalem descends from heaven," and God makes a home among mortals (21:2-3)."

"While some may claim Revelation has an otherworldly or escapist theological bent, we see in this pericope just how poor that interpretation really is. As we're coming to the culmination of the Revelation we see that it's not about us being pulled away from this earth, it's about God drawing close to this earth! "

"Contrary to popular apocalyptic thinking, there is no 'rapture' or a future snatching of Christians up from the earth in Revelation. Instead, it is God who is 'raptured' down to earth to take up residence among us."

"The new heaven and
earth is not simply the old renovated but an act of new creation (cf.
Rev. 20:1f with 20:11 and 2 Pet. 3:10, which describes the dissolving of
the old heaven and earth). The word ?new? here is kainos which means
fresh, new in quality and character. Further, in the Greek text the
words ?heaven? and ?earth? are without the article stressing the
aspect of quality rather than identity."